


It's always harder getting in through the back door (or, how Isaac's life is very, very difficult because of teenage angst and bad puns)

by extranuts



Series: The Backdoor Verse [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Crushing, F/M, Isaac still has trust issues, Jackson is a douche, M/M, Manly Pining and Heartache, Matt is awesome, Matt is not on the crazy train, Multi, Next Door Neighbor Cliches, Pining, Sad Lonely Crushing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-12
Updated: 2012-08-12
Packaged: 2017-11-11 23:37:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/484159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extranuts/pseuds/extranuts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where the fire doesn't happen, werewolves may or may not exist, Derek Hale is a slightly happier lurker, Matt is not really on the crazy train, and Isaac still has family issues. </p><p>Isaac Lahey is not leering at shirtless Jackson from his room one house over. He really isn’t. Isaac is just looking over his book, out his window, which just happens to overlook Jackson’s window. And if Jackson doesn’t feel the need to draw the curtains or put on a shirt, it really isn’t Isaac’s fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Isaac Pines

**Author's Note:**

> This started as a cute You Belong to Me-esque thingy that careened into dangerous waters. Because I am a horrible person, I have not taken away Isaac's childhood trauma. Matt is a thing, though, because in my head, he turned out awesome without Mr.Lahey being irresponsible and bffs with Isaac. Danny/Matt is also a thing. Because of reasons. 
> 
> at some point, window conversations will happen.

Jackson Whittemore is very upset. Also, Topless.  
  


Isaac Lahey is not leering at him from his room one house over. He  _really_  isn’t. Isaac is just looking over his book, out his window, which just happens to overlook Jackson’s window. And if Jackson doesn’t feel the need to draw the curtains or put on a shirt, it really isn’t Isaac’s fault.  
  


But Jackson is upset. He’s on the phone with Lydia because he only ever gets that annoyed with Lydia. Isaac frowns.  
  


“And you call me creepy,” says Matt sleepily, from where he is lying on Isaac’s feet, taking strange hipster pictures of a Very Old Piece of Wood. There is a horrible joke to be made about the whole thing that Isaac avoids in favor of kicking Matt off and turning pointedly away from the window.  
  


“I was not watching him,” Isaac says, “ He just happened to be in my line of vision.”  
  


It is a weak defense, but Isaac doesn’t have to pretend with Matt. (that doesn’t mean he won't try, though, because  _admitting_  is a whole different story altogether)  
  


“I can  _feel_  you frowning, dude,” Matt mumbles, but lets it go and puts on Star Wars again.  
  


And that is why Isaac loves Matt so much, really. Matt is Isaac’s Best Friend. It’s a very special role, one that took Isaac three whole years to award to Matt. Although one can hardly blame Isaac, because Isaac has trust issues. And self esteem issues. And a traumatic childhood that resurfaces when people mention his parents. Isaac doesn’t have real family, now, not after the night his father drank half the town, shot two policemen, himself and Isaac’s dog.  
  


Isaac lives with Derek, who is like a father and a cool older brother rolled up into one awesome person. Derek was Isaac’s neighbor before Jackson. He is also one of Isaac’s favorite people of all time. Because, after all, Derek was the one who found Isaac in the freezer, that very last time, curled up and sobbing on the floor with bloody fingers and broken nails because he’d heard guns and he c _ouldn’t get out._ They don’t speak of it often, but Isaac knows to go to Derek when he wakes in the middle of the night gasping for air against the invisible arms that curl around his neck.   
  


Derek is awesome, because even though he was eighteen to Isaac’s thirteen; he’d brought Isaac around with his friends, taught him the inner workings of Lacrosse and forced him to speak to others again. Matt was the only one who really tried, though, the only one who didn’t mind that the name Lahey now had the word ‘Crazy Drunkard’ attached to it. They bonded over a mutual love of Batman, Boba Fett, Peaches and Greek Mythology and never looked back.  
  


Matt has his moments of weirdness, but Isaac doesn’t judge and its not like he has any room to, really. They are good together, like the nerd version of Stiles and Scott who, in turn, are the almost-there version of Jackson and Danny. It all boils down to the same old hierarchy that has been firmly in place since they’d started in grade school together.  
  


It’s safe, familiar, and comfortable. It is also complicated by the fact that Isaac really, really, really likes Jackson. A lot. Like in the way Danny likes Matt (Matt does not know this). 

  
Isaac doesn’t even really know  _why.  
  
_

Jackson is a Grade-A Douchebag to most people, even those he doesn’t actually dislike. He is disgustingly attractive and  _knows_ it, flaunts it in the faces of anyone who dares challenge his alpha maleness _._ Mostly, Isaac isn’t even a blip on Jackson’s radar of beautiful popular people.   
  


Isaac has a theory, though. When Isaac was really young, a long time ago, his Mom was in a sewing circle with Jackson’s Mom. Isaac’s first and, ultimately, prevailing memories of Jackson are of warm blue eyes, shared gummy worms and promises of friends forever. Isaac remembers a time before Jackson grew cold and angry and scared at everything and sees the little bits of 5 year old Jackson that he tries so hard to hide. Of course, after that came Isaac’s own personal hell. When Isaac emerges, fragile and broken, he sees Jackson cocky, intense and softly sad when he thinks nobody can see and promptly falls head over heels. It's ridiculous, but there it is.   
  


So this whole unnoticed crush thing is not working out in Isaac’s favor. Since he moved in with Derek, Jackson has started acknowledging his existence with what Matt calls Bro Nods. It also doesn’t help that Jackson got really, really hot. Isaac is but a regular teenaged boy, after all. Watching Jackson fresh from the shower with  _glasses_  on and totally reading comic books is too much for Isaac to handle.   
  


Isaac tries – he really does- to find someone else. He starts something with Erica from Latin, which spans over a two-week period. It leaves a strange taste in his mouth, a constant hum of  _not-jackson-not-jackson-not-jackson_  that buzzes through his system when he tries to take her hand. They are both relieved when it fizzles out. It even seems to be a little booster for Erica. The day after they agree that Friends are all they can be, she turns up at school covered in female empowerment and tight leather. Isaac decides that he doesn't really want to know.   
  


So, long complicated history of feelings aside, his high school life cumulates into Isaac silently watching Jackson inconspicuously from his bedroom window, wishing that Jackson would just turn and  _see_  him. 

 


	2. In which the status quo is royally screwed over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where the fire doesn't happen, werewolves may or may not exist, Derek Hale is a slightly happier lurker, Matt is not really on the crazy train, and Isaac still has family issues.
> 
> Isaac Lahey is not leering at shirtless Jackson from his room one house over. He really isn’t. Isaac is just looking over his book, out his window, which just happens to overlook Jackson’s window. And if Jackson doesn’t feel the need to draw the curtains or put on a shirt, it really isn’t Isaac’s fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started as a cute You Belong to Me-esque thingy that careened into dangerous waters. Because I am a horrible person, I have not taken away Isaac's childhood trauma. Matt is a thing, though, because in my head, he turned out awesome without Mr.Lahey being irresponsible and bffs with Isaac. Danny/Matt is also a thing. Because of reasons.
> 
> at some point, window conversations will happen.

 

And that is how it would have stayed, if not for the fact that Danny exists. Danny is Jackson’s best friend the one who sees what Isaac sees and kicks Jackson out of his more unreasonable moments. Nobody can dislike Danny. Danny is _cool,_ effortlessly so, and so genuinely nice that you can’t decide if you want to smack him or screw him (or both).  
  


Danny also likes Matt. Isaac isn't even sure when this happened. He suspects it was the time Matt grinned and offered everyone chips that one day Allison compimented his pictures. Matt is adorable, Isaac supposes, in his own geeky way.  
  


This proves to be a great incentive for Danny to hang out at Jackson’s place once he finds out that Matt is a permanent fixture in Isaac’s room. It’s funny in a rather bleak way, how Danny sits near Jackson’s window and tries to pretend he isn’t watching Matt being a dork about things. It’s like watching himself, Isaac realizes, which then makes it significantly less funny and much more bleak.

   
It also picks both of them right up out of their serene, peaceful high-school life and drops them right in the middle of Jackson’s awareness in the very worst of ways.  
  


One day, Isaac looks up from where he is lounging on Matt’s stomach (Matt is drooling on his quilt, but Isaac lets it slide) and sees both Jackson and Danny staring at them. Danny’s eyes flicker from Matt’s neck to Isaac’s fingers in Matt’s hair before Isaac realizes e _xactly_ how they must look and shakes his head frantically at them. It isn’t Isaac’s fault that he likes physical contact with the people he trusts, but neither Jackson nor Danny knows any of this. They look like total _Boyfriends_ , Isaac realizes with horror, launching himself off Matt and trying to kick him off the bed.

  
"Dude!" Matt yells from the floor.  
  


It’s too late, though. Danny looks sad (which really, really shouldn’t be allowed), Jackson narrows his eyes. Isaac reaches down and pinches Matt. Hard.  
  


(Although in retrospect, he really shouldn’t have done that; Matt responded with a full on poke-attack, which, to the misinformed onlooker, looked a great deal like an inappropriate-touch attack and made Danny look even sadder)

 

-

 

Isaac is on the Lacrosse team because Derek insists that its good for him; getting used to contact with people other than Matt is important. Isaac isn’t really good at Lacrosse, though, so it comes as a surprise when Coach Finstock puts him in a big match and sends him off to train to the players who are actually good. Its very unnerving, because Boyd is huge, and Jackson is glaring. Everyone looks at Isaac as though they aren’t very sure why he’s _here._ Isaac very is glad that at least he isn’t the only one who is confused.  
  


Practice is _Hell_. Isaac is definitely not Big Match Material. Things do fall into perspective when they head back to the benches and Matt is there and Danny is next to him, looking like a love-struck puppy to Matt’s oblivious lump of donkey. Isaac is going to go over, maybe try to clue Matt in, when a hand on his shoulder drags him backwards.  
  


It’s Jackson’s hand, Isaac realizes. Jackson is touching him _. Touching_ him. Isaac swivels around to face an unimpressed Jackson.  
  


“I think you and Matt need some time off,” he says, pulling Isaac closer, snickering at the way Isaac’s breath hitches. Jackson is messing with him, Isaac knows, buying Danny more time with Matt, but just for a few seconds, he lets himself pretend.  
  


“I’d have to find someone to occupy my long hours alone, then,” Isaac hears himself saying. And that is horrifying, because that sounds an awful lot like flirting, and flirting is possibly the worst thing Isaac could pull with the boy he is crushing on who thinks that he has a thing with his best friend and really wants to tear them apart so that Matt will shack up with Danny.  
  


Jackson quirks an eyebrow, plays along, keeping one eye on Matt, who has noticed them standing inches apart on the field and heads over, Danny flailing (coolly, though) behind him.  
  


“Time passes really fast in the showers,” And seriously, Isaac doesn’t need mental images like that when he’s trying to remain sane and logical.  
  


“I’m afraid you aren’t my type,” is what he ends up saying instead. It sounds like the worst, shakiest lie ever, even to his own ears, and Jackson knows it too.  
  


“I am everybody’s type,” Jackson murmurs into his ear, low and gravelly, just as Matt approaches. it is increadibly hot, because Jackson's breath against his skin feels like everything he thought it would, and Jackson really does have wonderfully soft hands.   
  


Isaac does not whimper.  
  


“Hi,” offers Danny, because Danny is nice.  
  


“Danny likes Star Wars too,” Matt tells Isaac, “I said he could come over for the Phantom Menace some time.” He pauses, sees that Isaac is having a serious, internal freak-out and reaches to grab Isaac’s fingers reassuringly. Jackson raises a ‘ _seriously_ ’ eyebrow at Danny, who looks like he is going to embark on an online Star Wars crash course. And really, Isaac is going to have to clue Matt in, because Jackson thinks that they are _together._ He tries to convey this to Matt with his eyes and they really have to work on Best Friend telepathy, because that fails spectacularly.

 

“Right,” says Isaac, somewhat hysterically,” Cool. We’ll wait in my room. Like Friends. Which we are. In my room. Which is across from Jackson’s room and totally not make out until you arrive.” And then he _bolts._

 

-

 

“Dude,” says Matt the moment they are alone, “Dude, Dude, _Dude_ , you are bound by every single best friend law in every single universe to tell me exactly what went down with Jack _ass_ over there.”  
  
Because apparently Jackson has decided that he wants Allison on his arm, now, which immediately puts him on the shit list of a large number of people. Scott, for one, is out for blood, Allison’s parents, who are a whole different brand of terrifying, Lydia, obviously and then Matt. (Only Isaac knows about Jackson’s place on Matt’s list, though, because Matt is a bit of a creeper about Allison)   
  
“Nothing happened,” Isaac says firmly, because it's true, at least on Jackson’s side, “Just because I _maybe_ like Jackson a little bit more than as a neighbor doesn’t mean I’m going to pine like you. Or Derek.”  
  


Derek is Tall, Dark and Handsome; everyone goes gooey inside at the whole broody, sensitive thing he does with his face. What makes Derek a desperate human being who _Pines_ is his tendency to lurk around the high-school grounds under the pretext of keeping an eye on Isaac. Everyone knows, however, the only thing Derek is keeping an eye on is Stiles and anyone who dares to lay a finger on him, innocent or otherwise.   
  
It’s hilarious, almost, how Derek - cool, bad-boy Derek - is reduced to sexually frustrated mush when Stiles is around. _Almost_. Except for the fact that Stiles is totally into Derek too, which makes their little wishy-washy mating dance incredibly awkward for everyone.   
  
“I do not pine,” Matt is saying with as much dignity as he can muster in front of someone who has actually seen his Allison Shrine. That shit would get him shot in the face by Mr. Argent. “I have just as much chance as Jackson does. She _smiled_ at me at the lockers.”  
  
“I saw that,” Isaac says, “Just after she kissed Scott and said she loved him?”  
  
“She dumped him after,” Matt informs him gleefully, “Didn’t you hear?”  
  
Isaac has not heard.   
  
“I’m going to ask her out,” Matt says, “Tomorrow, before History. Should I return the handkerchief she lent me four years ago? Is that too much?”

 

-

 

Let it never be said that Isaac is not the best friend to ever exist. Allison is going to them movies with Jackson tomorrow night, and Matt is a mopey mess.  They eat about twelve jumbo bags of Nachos and marathon the Lord of the Rings over the weekend. At the end, Matt symbolically burns his Allison Shrine in Isaac’s backyard. Isaac helpfully blasts the dramatic soundtrack from when the Ring falls and they share a lovely, weepy bro-hug moment over the smoldering remains Matt’s creepy Allison collection.  
  


It is therapeutic for both of them.  
  


Derek, though, is significantly less impressed, because the neighbors complain about the smoke and the ashes that fly into their flowerbeds. Also, the Nachos were from Derek’s special stock for when he’s engaging in his own manly Pining over Stiles.  
  


Isaac and Matt are deployed to visit the neighbors with apology packages of air-freshener and cookies.  Miss Doris two houses down makes them stay and remove every trace of ash from her premises, and Mrs Cena across the road keeps them in with lemonade and long lectures about Behaving Appropriately.  
  


It's really hot, and Isaac's hair stinks of smoke and burnt pencils. By the time they stumble over to the Whittemore house, Isaac is cranky and Matt is sulking. This is not improved by the fact that Danny opens the door looking far too happy, and that only Matt is allowed into the house while Jackson stands resolutely between Isaac and the entrance.  
  


“Danny wants to ask Matt about photography stuff. We’ll stay here on the porch.  
  


“Well, somebody is whipped,” grouses Isaac before he can stop himself.  
  


“What.” says Jackson flatly.  
  


“Matt doesn’t even like boys, anyway,” Isaac continues, “I want Matt back.”  
  


“What,” repeats Jackson, more confused than annoyed, if anything.  
  


“What?” Isaac says.  
  


“You mean the two of you aren’t-“  
  


“We like to cuddle,” Isaac says, “And talk about Batman. There is no sex."   
  


“So just friends.” Jackson confirms  
  


“Yes.”  
  


“Okay.”  
  


“Okay.”  
  


They stand there in silence until Matt emerges, looking no worse for wear, and a little more cheerful. He is holding a muffin, the bastard, and a can of coke that he passes to Isaac. Not a bastard anymore.  
  


“Bye,” Jackson offers with notes of contrition in his voice. He looks sheepish, and Isaac decides that it’s a good look on him. More human. Although to be fair, there aren't many aspects of Jackson's physical appearance that Isaac finds unappealing.   
  


Matt snickers softly.   
  


Isaac really, really, wishes that he could crush hopelessly on somebody else. 

**Author's Note:**

> this is far too long. there are far too many parts. what is my life. why is daniel sharman so adorable. this needs more lydia. 
> 
> there is totally going to be a sterek spin off. and a matt/danny.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [One more night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/507695) by [Shulik](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shulik/pseuds/Shulik)




End file.
